Transcription
Today, we have millions of testimonies among us. But the witnesses are counted on fingers. Do you know? We have a lot of testimonies. I received this, they called me that, and I give all the glory to the Lord for it. But the question is, are you a witness? If a hundred people abuse you, yet you silently endure it. Do you have a life like this? If not, you are not a witness. Today, we have many testimonies among us. I say again, this is not a taunt, nor is it anyone's judgment, nor is it to belittle the work of the Lord. I am talking about a [music] stable and forward-looking matter. Are you a witness? Today, why do abuses come out of our mouths in anger? Today, why do we take money by telling people false stories? Today, why can't we look at sisters with parity? Something is wrong. Something is wrong. So I plead with each one of you. If you want to live your life as a witness in the coming days, listen to today's message very carefully. I plead with you. Listen to today's [music] message very carefully. I want you all to look forward. Before we begin the Word, please bow your heads. Before we begin the Word, I want to tell you something. Do you know sometimes God is also in need? Many times, God is also needy. If you think God has no needs, He is the King. What does He lack? I am so sorry. You have missed something in the Bible. Do you know this? When Jesus met the Samaritan woman, [music] He asked her for water. In a moment, if He had looked towards the sky and said, "Let it rain from above," 5,000 people would have been fed right there. Yet, He was looking at what His children had. Sometimes God is also in need. Many times, God is also needy. You know, I feel that today when God came into this temple, into this tabernacle, I feel that today He has not only come to give but today He will also tell you His need, that I need something. And I tell you the truth, how blessed are those from whom He asks. What a blessed people. I tell you the truth. God has given me a lot, the Lord has given me a lot. But many times, the Lord has also asked me. You have seen, He asks. He asked Abraham for Isaac. He asked Adam that He wanted his seventh day. He asked for the 5,000 people, "What do you have?" He asked the Samaritan woman too. He asked for water. Oh, I tell you the truth, if God asks you, you are a blessed one. If the Lord tells you, "I need this," I tell you the truth. You are very blessed that He did not ask anyone else but you. Therefore, David says, "I will never give Him what has no value. I will give Him something valuable." Today, He will ask something from you too. And I plead with you, do not just believe in asking. [Music] Believe in giving too, because I tell you the truth, the things you ask for will be written in your notebook. The things you give will be written in His notebook. [Praise] What you ask from Him and He gives you, you will write in your notebook. I received all this, and what you gave Him will be written in His book. [Music] that you gave Him. You know, many years ago, the Lord went into a house, and the same thing I am telling you, He wanted that. After understanding, we will start today's message. Many years ago, He went into a house. There were two sisters, Martha and Mary. In English, Martha and Mary. And when Jesus went there, as He sat there, the full record of what Martha was doing is not written, but she was doing some work. But for Mary, it is written that she was sitting near Him and listening to His words. Do you know? Mary was not just listening. She was giving something. What was she giving? One thing: attention. Her attention was on Him. Do you know what God needs most from you? Attention. We give Him everything else. We don't give attention. This is why today's generation cannot hear God. They hear the preacher. After hearing the preacher, they even say that the Lord spoke to me. But I want to ask you, last time when you heard from the Lord. When did you last hear from God? Not second-hand, mind you. First-hand. Do you know why the Lord speaks, but we don't hear? One reason is that we have a wandering mind. We don't have attention. Do you know what God wants from you today? Just one thing: that you pay attention to Him. How we used to go to movies in the old days. I still remember, when I felt like going to the bathroom during the interval, I would sit there and think, "I'll go later, why? If the movie starts, I might miss a scene." You see, if you are standing in a bank and your number is about to come up, even if you get an important call, you will say, "No, no, I'll see later." That much attention we have. And I want to tell you, this is what is ruining our attention today. This is what has stopped many. This is what is ruining our attention today. My brothers, my sisters, today God is asking you, pay attention to what is being said today. Pay attention to it. Don't just leave by saying it was a very good meeting. Such meetings should happen. But after leaving here, make the things you heard a part of your life. That is called attention. Grip it, hold onto it. Grip today's message. Grip it today. Yes, this is a part of my life. Like my family, husband, wife, children, my bank balance, it is. Everything is a part of your life, isn't it? Today's Word. Think, if I am preparing the ground so much, God must have given me something for you. Are you all ready? What does God want from you today? Attention. Oh, isn't this the boy who preaches on YouTube? Yes, yes, this boy. Remove all that now and focus on the Word. Okay, are you all ready? Ask the person next to you. Are you ready to pay attention? Brothers, are you ready? Let's begin. I want you all to open with me the Book of Colossians. [Music] Open the Book of Colossians with me, chapter three. Chapter three. The Book of Colossians, chapter three, and we will all open its second verse. Let's do one thing. For better understanding, let's read from one. It is written here: "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Say, attention. Okay. Can we read together? [Music] On the count of three? Okay. I will count to three. Each one of you has to read this word loudly in your own Bible. Okay. Three, and one, and two. Okay? One, two, three. Okay, listen very carefully. Many years ago, when He was on this earth, the Holy Word says He began His ministry from the River Jordan. He was anointed, and after the anointing, you would know that Jesus Christ used His authority. He healed the sick, He cast out demons, He cleansed lepers. But a time came when it is written in the Word of God that when He was arrested, and after being arrested, He was killed, and after that, they buried Him, placed Him in the grave, and on the third day, the Bible tells us, He arose from the death, He rose from the dead. And after rising from the dead, for 40 days and 40 nights, He remained among them. Now, in those 40 days and 40 nights, He said some things. I want to focus your attention on them. You know, in those 40 days, He said one thing: "I am going, and I will send a power upon you from above, and that power will make you my witness. You will be a witness." My brothers, my sisters, remember, after a miracle happens, what you say is testimony. But the Lord never wants you to have only testimonies. God also wants you to live as His witnesses. You become His witnesses. And the Lord knew very well that no person can become His witness just like that unless they receive power from above. It is impossible. It is simply impossible for any one of you to become His witness without the power of God. First, I want to tell you who witnesses are. What do they look like? What is their conduct? I want to ask you a question. If someone abuses you, how can you react to them? One day, I was riding a two-wheeler. A guy passed very close to me. He was riding a Royal Enfield. He had gutkha in his mouth. So he didn't know I was coming from behind. He spat. As he spat, some of it splashed on my leg. Believe me, I became so angry. I became so angry. I overtook him. I told him, "Pull your vehicle aside." And he pulled his vehicle aside. I said, "You have two mirrors on your vehicle, around you." Do you know why they are there? He said, "Yes, I know." I said, "They are there so you can see who is coming from behind." Did you see what happened behind, brother? What happened? He said, "What happened?" "How did you spit?" "Yes." I spoke to him like this. "How did you spit? Can't you see?" Then he said, "Sir, I made a mistake." "How did you make a mistake? Your father will pay." I am a pastor. I spoke to someone like that a few years ago. He apologized, and I left. But when I went home, I asked the Lord one thing. Lord, spit was on my clothes. [Music] Spit was on Your face. You were not angry. Why didn't You get angry? This is called a witness. A witness. This is called a witness. Are you a witness? I didn't even feel anything on myself. A few splashes were on my leg, and even then, I saw them very carefully, they were visible, but I was angry. I got angry. Can you ever imagine that spit was on our Lord's face, and even after spitting, He was silent? Where did He get that strength? This is called a witness. If you don't know, among the many names of Jesus Christ, like His name is the Light of Life, the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, the Water of Life, you can easily read Revelation, "He who is the faithful witness." In Hindi, it is written, "Faithful witness." Witness of whom? He represented God on earth. He presented God on earth. Are you a witness? Forget spit, some people can't even hear a single word. Say one word to them, and they block you. Say one word to anyone. I went to a house and met a husband and wife. I told that uncle, "Uncle, your wife, our sister, is very good. Very lovely. May the Lord bless them greatly." And his wife went to make tea. I was standing there. Now, the uncle and I were alone. And do you know what he told me? He said, "Brother, she is good only in front of you. Stay for 24 hours. She has troubled the whole house. My younger son, at such a young age, hates her. He says he doesn't want a mother." I said, "Uncle, what are you talking about?" "What do you know? She is an angel in your church. She is a ghost in our house." He used those words. I am not kidding. You might be laughing. It's okay, we can laugh. But he used such words. I told him, "Uncle, why are you so irritated? Why are you so troubled?" He said, "Brother, I got married to this woman 10 years ago. If I make a mistake today, she brings up things from 10 years ago." Do you know the best way to ruin a home? Bring up old issues during an argument. One day, everything will end. I am not kidding. Your poor husband is trapped. He honestly told you, "I made a mistake. Forgive me." But many times, you see during an argument, "Oh, you were always like this. You were always like this. You were always like this." One day, everything will end. You are here, I am here. Or many brothers behave with sisters as if they are very harsh. Why are you harsh? Do you know why you are harsh? Because you are believers. Not witnesses. Witnesses don't live like this. Witnesses cannot have a life like this. Witness means, "I have seen Him. I have recognized Him." Paul says, "I know whom I have believed." I know Him. Someone told me, and I came. No. Paul says, "I know the One in whom I have believed." I know Him. To live as a witness. And I want to tell you, you can turn from upside down to right side up, or right side up to upside down, and still, you won't be able to do it. To do that, you need the power of God. It is impossible. God knew that it is impossible for a woman to have a child unless she is married to a man. That's why He knew Mary did not know Joseph. They never had a physical relationship. That's why He knew how she would be able to do it. That's why He sent the Holy Spirit. In one translation of the Bible, it is written that the angel of the Lord came to Mary and said, "O Mary, do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son." One translation says this. It is impossible for a woman to give birth to a child without meeting her husband. God also knew this. Similarly, the Lord knows very well that no one can remain silent by their own strength. They cannot remain quiet today. They cannot tolerate insults. That's why He sent the Holy Spirit upon us so that we can tolerate. If you want to live your life as His witness in the coming days, listen very carefully today. Here Paul says, the man of God says, "We have been raised with Christ." Raised, meaning, I want to explain it a little. [Music] According to the Bible, what does it mean to be raised? You all know that when we were not in the Lord, we were like dead people. That brother was also telling in his testimony. Who were we? Say, dead. Do you understand what a dead person means? When the Lord created Adam and told him, "Eat whatever you want, eat the fruit of any tree, but do not touch one, do not eat from one, because the day you eat from it, you will die." Read it comfortably, Adam died after 930 years. But what was that thing? I have heard from many people. They say, "He died in spirit." Okay, where is that written? Please, even if a famous person makes a statement, examine their statement a little. Tell the person next to you, we should not blindly believe anyone. Pastor Suraj Prembani said it, it came from above, right? It came from above. Whatever he says will be correct. Don't we make mistakes? Whatever we hear, check if it is written or not. Paul established the church in Corinth. He established the church in Philippi. The church was not built by him. Someone else built it. He only wrote letters to them. You know, Philippians, Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, read all the epistles, but do you know that he had another church to which he never wrote a letter? Beroeans. Beroeans are people who, when Paul went among them and preached, can you believe it, Paul was told, "Paul, you have said very nice things. Praise the Lord. Now, do one thing, you will come again next Sunday, and then we will tell you if we agree with your words or not." Oh brother, what will you do for the whole week? For the whole week, we will examine if what you said is written or not. When Paul saw such people, he did not write them any letters. He knew that no one could deceive them. They are people who read the Word of God. [Praise] That's why you must have seen many people naming their groups "Beroeans," people who study, people who research. Some people don't even read the Bible. If you tell them, "Jesus rose on the fifth day," they will believe it. "Yes, absolutely." If you tell them, "Jesus rose on the fifth day," they will shout Hallelujah. Whenever He rose, it served our purpose. One day, a brother told me, "Brother, I found a revelation." I said, "Oh, what did you find?" "The Lord told Adam one day, 'Never touch the air.'" I said, "Oh, this is a revelation." So I said, "Where is it written?" "It is not written, it is a revelation." I said, "I also have a revelation." He said, "You are going to get beaten badly. You are going to be thrashed today." Why? It's a revelation? Nonsense. Some people just say anything. Some people just say anything. Be Beroeans. Become people who study. We also get 24 hours, everyone gets it. But sometimes, you see, some people waste those 24 hours completely. But some people make those 24 hours so beautiful. It's a matter of choice. We were dead. Do you know who is dead in God's eyes? Do you want to know? "The day you eat from it, you will die." Remember, a person who is separated from God is dead. He is dead. He was alive. He was separated. A person who is not connected to the Lord, according to the Bible, the Holy Word says, is dead. And you see, we were dead. We committed so many sins. Did we ever feel it? Tell me, did you ever feel it? Earlier, boys used to smoke cigarettes like this. Now they smoke like this. Peter says they are ashamed of their shameful deeds. You see, this is happening. You see, have you ever used WhatsApp properly? There are emojis in WhatsApp, like this, like this, laughing. Have you ever seen this emoji in WhatsApp emojis? A boy is pregnant. Have you noticed? A boy can never be pregnant. What is this? Two girls are standing with a baby in their hands. Two girls can give birth to a baby. Have you noticed WhatsApp is promoting gay and lesbian relationships these days? Read it. Pay attention. Learn to observe. There are three studies. One is Bible study. World study. And the third is self-study. How am I living? How is the world running? What is written in the Bible? I always do three studies: Bible study, self-study, world study. What is happening in the world? You see, no more RT-PCR is being asked. I came without RT-PCR. I have done RT-PCR 35 times so far. I have a record. [Music] It's in my mobile. But now no one asks me for RT-PCR. I came from Mumbai airport. Last night, I reached at 3:30. I asked them, "Do you want...?" "No, sir, it's okay." No RT-PCR, no mask. Now no one is asking you about vaccination either. Now, have you seen what Jesus Christ said? His disciples, His apostles asked, "When will you come?" Then what did He say? "People will eat, drink, marry, plant trees." Tell me one thing, my sisters, my brothers, are these big things? These are ordinary things, aren't they? Everyone eats and drinks. Marriages happen every month, every year. They even plant trees at home. Have you seen what Jesus said? When everything starts to normalize, then I will come. See, listen. Everything is normalizing now. As long as the war between Ukraine and Russia was going on, I believed the opposite, that no, that time has not come yet. But now you are seeing, everything is becoming normal. People have started coming out into the markets again. Malls have reopened. People are leaving their household chores and working in offices again. Have you noticed? Everything is becoming normal now. People will eat, drink, marry, and one day you will lift your face upwards, and your redemption will be near. Jesus. [Praise] Everything is becoming normal. These are the signs of danger. Conversely, when COVID-19 was there, trust me. I never said that COVID-19 came to kill. On the contrary, I tried to encourage people in Mumbai, saying, "Nothing will happen. God will save us." People were scaring others with the COVID disease, "Oh, COVID has come to kill." That dead person is already dying, poor thing. Believe me, someone told me, "You are the first person in Maharashtra who made a video during COVID-19 and told people that nothing will happen. God will heal us." You cannot speak about signs and wonders. My brothers, my sisters, read the verses carefully. It is not necessary that whatever a famous person says is true. Forgive me for using these words. Sometimes, even very famous people make mistakes. They make mistakes. I have read over 200 biographies in my life. Where do I see it? No, this was not right. This was wrong. You know, it is written in the Word of God that we were all born dead, but after that, one day someone came to you and told you about Jesus. As you heard about Jesus, suddenly you became interested, thinking, "I should go to church." You came to Shalom, you went somewhere else, and suddenly you saw that now you have received the Holy Spirit. Now, forget the big things, even if you speak rudely to someone normally, you feel, "No, I shouldn't do this." You were revived. You were revived. I think everyone in this hall and those standing outside will have this experience: "Yes, brother, I was dead. But after coming to church, I realized I was living a rotten life, and I need to get out of here." And God revived you. But Paul says, after being revived, a Christian only needs to look upwards, not downwards. We have been raised with Christ. Raised. After that, He says, "Now come, let us look at the things that are above." Many years ago, it is written in the Word of the Lord, a wicked woman was determined to destroy God's people. Her name was Jezebel. She was killing the prophets of God. She was destroying them. The Holy Word says that in those days, God raised up one of His prophets. His name was Elijah. And after Elijah stood up, you can read that one day Elijah also became afraid of her. And he sat under a juniper tree, standing under a tree, and said, "Lord, she is killing everyone. Now these people are also seeking my life. Do one thing, take me away." And when God saw that His servant had become fearful, look here, the fearful are welcomed in the church. Not here. Never. If you are afraid, sit down, learn, be free. Here should stand those who can even give their lives for God. [Praise] [Praise] Here should stand those who can give their lives for God. They should love God's will more than their families. [Music] Have you noticed the Bible says when Joshua was distributing land to the tribes, he gave nothing to the tribe of Levi. "And you will have no portion here. You will have no share here. Because, O Levites, the Lord is your own portion." You know the Bible says he became afraid, and when God saw that he was afraid, God gave his ministry to Elisha. You see, he gave his ministry to Elisha. Elijah's unfinished ministry was being done by him. And you know, when he meets him, he meets him and says, "Listen, the Lord of Hosts has called you." And the Bible tells us Elisha followed Elijah. I want to ask you one thing. Look here. In those days, was Elisha running an Instagram account? Was he running Facebook? Was Elisha on YouTube in those days? Yes. Elisha was a fan of Elijah. Nowadays, many people say, "I am your fan." "I am your fan." Brother, being a fan, a tube light, a bulb, you will get nothing. Tell the person next to you, you will get nothing by being a fan. Tell the person next to you. Fan, tube light, bulb, whatever you want to be, you will get nothing. "I am your fan." What will you get by being a fan, brother? You will get nothing.